CHAPTER V
SPECIFICATIONS
After the librarian has definitely decided upon the binder whom he wishes to employ he must, especially in dealing with binders who are not accustomed to library work, draw up specifications as to ways in which he wishes different classes of books bound. If he has employed a binder who thoroughly understands library binding, he may make use of the binder's knowledge in drawing up the specifications. Under certain circumstances it may be wise to enter into a contract with the binder, but ordinarily in the United States such a course will not be necessary. After the specifications have been prepared and a schedule of prices agreed upon, the librarian always has the right to refuse to pay for books not bound according to specifications. Therefore, a definite legal contract is not necessary. The librarian, except in the case of a few libraries which according to law must give their work to state officials, is always at liberty to take his custom from one binder and give it to another. Thus sufficient pressure is brought to bear on the binder.
Although the present chapter gives definite specifications for the binding of various classes of books, it is always wise to show a certain latitude in the use of specifications. Local conditions, the papers used in bookmaking which seem to become poorer and poorer with each succeeding year, and the kind of a library which is to use the specifications--all these must be taken into consideration when specifications are drawn up. Moreover, the best specifications will accomplish little if they are not followed by the binder in a workmanlike manner, while good workmanship will sometimes make up for omission of important details in the specifications.
In the main, it will be found that the following specifications may be used as a guide, except possibly in the case of some reference and college libraries which do not issue books for home use. It has seemed best to place first general specifications which apply to all books, followed by additional specifications for each kind of books treated. The way in which these specifications are carried out is described in the chapter on Processes.
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
1. The binder is responsible for all books consigned to his care and must replace or pay for all books lost or injured. When one considers the large number of volumes passing through a bindery, coming from many different libraries, the number of books for which the binder is unable to account is surprisingly small.
2. The librarian is the judge of whether the book is bound according to the specifications. Since he has submitted the specifications and the binder has agreed to them he should be the sole judge of the result.
3. The binder will be allowed to depart from any specification if it is desirable in the interests of good binding. He must, however, prove that he is justified in so doing.
4. Books must be paid for according to a schedule of prices agreed upon by the binder and librarian.
5. The size should be determined by measuring at the back of the volume after it is bound. It might be wiser, perhaps, to measure the book before the boards are put on, so that binders would be sure to trim the book as little as possible. It is the universal custom, however, to pay according to the measure of the book with the boards on. This may possibly tempt the binder to increase the square of the book just enough to group it with the next larger size so that he can charge more for it.
6. All items not covered in the schedule of prices may be charged for at the regular rates of the binder for such work.
7. All books not oversewed are to be sewed all-along with Hayes' Irish linen thread, suiting the size of the thread to the requirements of the book; No. 25 for light, No. 20 for medium and No. 16 for heavy sections.
8. Cloth must be used for sides of all books bound in half-leather or half-duck. Never use marbled paper except occasionally on newspapers.
9. Unless otherwise specified, cloth which conforms to the specifications of the Bureau of Standards, or Imperial morocco cloth, must be used for full binding. For sides of leather bound books a somewhat cheaper grade may be used.
10. Duck should have a twisted, double thread in the weft.
11. Moroccos or pigskins must be guaranteed by the manufacturer to be free-from-acid.
12. Glue must be best quality of binders' or flexible glue, and must be used sparingly.
13. Poor materials of any kind must not be used.
14. In taking books apart, all old glue, paste, back-lining, paper, etc., should be carefully removed.
15. The binder should expect to do a certain amount of mending of torn pages and guarding of weak signatures, but should be allowed to charge extra when the amount is excessive.
16. The text of all books must be collated by binder and imperfect books returned to the library. (See under Processes, Collation, p. 15).
17. All illustrations of whatever character printed on single leaves must be guarded with thin, tough paper and the guard folded around the adjoining sections.
Some librarians and binders advocate the use of cloth guards but this seems hardly necessary. The cloth guards tend to swell the back of the book, especially if there be many plates, while the thin, tough paper is strong enough for ordinary books. Folded plates should never be sewed through the middle of the fold, but should be mounted on guards so that the plates will open out nearly flat when the book is opened. Folded maps, or other folded plates which may be consulted often should, unless otherwise specified, be guarded with cloth which is as wide as the book, so that they may be thrown entirely outside the book and lie flat on a table.
18. Illustrations which are folded more than once, such as maps, should be carefully cut and mounted on thin cloth in such a way as to allow for the folding to come on the cloth alone, not on the paper.
19. Stitching (that is, sewing signatures lengthwise with a sewing-machine) or old-fashioned whipstitching, is not permitted for any books; with the possible exception of newspapers.
20. In sewing three bands or tapes must be used for eight-inch books, four for twelve-inch, etc.
21. Tapes, or bands, and back-lining must project at least an inch and a quarter on each side of the book.
22. All books should be lined on the back with canton flannel as described in the chapter on Processes, except in a few cases where it may be advisable to use duck or a flesher. This eliminates lacing-on of boards.
23. Adjoining leaves of fly leaves and end papers must always be pasted together.
24. Books must be trimmed as little as possible.
25. All books should have rounded corners.
26. All books must have French joints.
27. All books, unless otherwise specified, will be fastened finally into the covers by pasting down end papers. Tight-back books will in addition have the back glued to the book.
28. Books should be loose-back unless otherwise specified.
29. Edges should be sprinkled unless the library specifies gilding on top. The color used may be varied to harmonize with the color of the book.
30. Books must be pressed until thoroughly dry.
31. Binders must keep a record of each book, whether periodical or not, which has a volume number.
This record, commonly known as a "rub" or "rub-off," shows the size of the book, kind of binding and exact lettering. Whenever other volumes of the same work or same periodical are received they will be bound according to this record, unless the librarian has specified a different material, or different lettering. In such a case the matter must be referred to the librarian before the book is bound. If a binder receives a book with a volume number and has no record of previous volumes, he should ask the librarian for a sample volume, unless it is obviously a book for which there could be no sample, such as the first volume of a periodical giving contemporary dates.
32. The binder is expected to paste in book-pockets and book-plates when furnished by the library but may charge extra for the work.
33. The best gold leaf must be used in lettering unless cover is light enough in color to take ink. Leather labels should never be used.
FICTION AND JUVENILE BOOKS
It seems to be fairly well proven that all fiction and juvenile books should be bound in some kind of leather, preferably cowhide.[5] Objections to this are heard from time to time, but the objections come chiefly from the large steel towns where the sulphur in the air has a bad effect on leathers. In most communities leather will outwear cloth and in any event cloth becomes shabby, even when perfectly strong, much more quickly than leather. When the French joint is used the leather need not be pared and ordinarily will outwear the paper of the book.
Follow general specifications as outlined above, supplemented by the following:
1. Books should be bound in one-half cowhide (American russia). Roan may be used if the librarian is sure that it is good.
2. Fly-leaves should be made of white book paper, 70 pounds to the ream and guarded with jaconet.
It is apparent that when fly-leaves are guarded with cloth they are sewed as a separate section and not tipped on as is done in ordinary binding. Since practically all fiction and juvenile books are oversewed, it will not be necessary to carry the guard around to the inner side of the fold.
3. End papers may be made of paper specially made for the binder, but it should be equal in strength to an 80-pound manila paper and should be guarded with jaconet on the outside of the fold in the same way as fly-leaves.
4. If book is not oversewed the first and last sections must be guarded with jaconet.
5. Nearly all books should be sewed with some modern method of overcasting.
It is probable that in every lot of books sent to the binder there will be some fiction and juvenile books which could be sewed in the regular way through the signatures either on bands or on tapes, but the number is so small that the binder finds it easier to sew all the books alike. In any event only those which have the backs of the sections unbroken the entire length and which, in addition, are seldom used, should be sewed in the regular way.
Footnote 5: See footnote, page 66.
NON-FICTION
1. Books should be bound in full cloth.
2. Books in which the backs of sections are not injured, or which cannot be easily mended may be sewed regularly. The rest must be oversewed.
3. In all other respects the preceding specifications should be followed.
PERIODICALS
There is no place in a small library where good judgment will do more to make the library efficient at a minimum cost than in the binding of periodicals. The use of libraries for reference purposes is increasing and the use of periodicals is made easy by means of the periodical indexes. The enthusiastic librarian who wishes to answer all questions will be tempted to bind more periodicals than are really needed, thus impairing the efficiency of the book fund. On the other hand, to some the cost of binding may seem so great that some useful periodicals will remain unbound. But it is not necessary to throw away unbound periodicals. If they are to be used only now and then in reference work, it is a good plan to wrap them in stout manila paper with stiff boards on the outside, letter carefully on the back and file away on the shelves in their regular places among other periodicals.
Supplement the general specifications by the following:
1. Fly-leaves should be made of white book paper, 80 pounds to the ream, guarded with jaconet on both sides.
2. End papers may be made of special papers used by the binder, but it is wise to have a 100-pound manila guarded with jaconet on the outside and also on the inside of the fold.
3. First and last sections must be guarded with jaconet.
4. Books 10 inches in height should be sewed regularly on four bands or on tapes one-quarter of an inch wide; larger volumes on five bands or tapes. Sew all-along, passing needle through center of tapes.
5. A millboard as heavy as the weight of the book will allow must be used.
6. (_a_) Books should be bound in full cloth made according to the specifications of the Bureau of Standards. As light colors, which may be lettered in ink, show dirt very readily it seems better to use a dark color and letter in gold.
(_b_) In large reference or college libraries there are certain periodicals that receive constant use. It would be a mistake to bind such volumes in cloth, because no cloth will endure the wear that they receive. They should be bound in leather, preferably Turkey or Niger morocco. On no account should American russia be used.
7. If leather is used the sides should be covered with Bureau of Standards cloth.
NEWSPAPERS
Because newspapers are printed on wretched paper which it is freely admitted will disintegrate in a comparatively short time, the question when to bind and when to throw away is a hard one to decide. For the small library it is surely unwise to bind any except the local paper, which will be used from time to time for local history. In many cases it may be wiser simply to wrap the volumes to protect them from the light and file them chronologically. The librarian of the large library, however, no matter how disgusted he may be with the poor quality of paper used finds it necessary to bind a number of newspapers. When bound they will last twenty-five years or more, during which time they are sure to be used sufficiently to warrant binding.
Newspapers must be kept away from light, heat and moisture. If possible, keep in a dark closet until ready for binding. Publishers of local papers ought to give a copy for binding.
1. Newspapers must be bound in one-half duck, best quality.
It is never under any circumstances wise to bind newspapers in leather. Duck, to be sure, gathers dirt easily, but it seems to be the only material sufficiently strong and long-lived for binding newspapers.
2. Fly-leaves and end papers should be made of extra heavy paper well guarded inside and outside the fold.
3. It is permissible to stitch sections lengthwise before sewing regularly on bands, but oversewing is preferable.
4. Boards of double thickness must be used. It is best, perhaps, to make the boards by gluing or pasting two boards of ordinary thickness together.
5. Corners should be covered with vellum tips.
6. Tight backs must be used.
7. Sides must be covered with paper.
This facilitates the handling of the volumes. If cloth sides are used on newspapers it increases enormously the labor in shelving them and even of using them on ordinary library tables. In libraries that can afford to shelve newspapers on patent shelving with rollers, cloth sides are preferable.
8. Libraries that can afford it should use a fibre-filling preservative on the edges. (See page 116 of the Bulletin of the American Library Association for 1912.)
REFERENCE BOOKS
Reference books should be bound in the same way as fiction or juvenile books, except that morocco, instead of cowhide, should be used for books constantly handled. Books used only occasionally should be covered with cloth made according to the Specifications of the Bureau of Standards. Very heavy, thick volumes, such as dictionaries, should have all the strengthening devices and especially should have the bands and canton flannel on the back placed in split boards or between two boards glued together. It is impossible to bind such books too strongly. In rare cases it may be well to sew heavy books constantly used on raised bands, to have leather corners, and a strip of leather along the bottom of each board.
LAW BOOKS
Some of the professions have conventional ways of binding professional books. In the law, for example, it was formerly customary to bind all law books in full sheep of the natural color. When sheep fell into disrepute, the law publishers began to substitute cloth similar in shade to the sheep generally used--a decided gain for law libraries.
Supplement the general specifications by the following:
1. End papers and fly-leaves must be guarded with jaconet, as described in specifications for fiction and juvenile books, page 93.
2. First and last sections must be guarded with jaconet.
3. All maps and charts must be backed with muslin and not folded unless necessary.
4. (_a_) Bancroft Legal buckram (the lightest shade made), or Holliston Mills Library buckram No. 32, should be used for covering.
(_b_) Books used constantly should be bound in half Turkey morocco or Niger morocco.
MUSIC
1. The most essential quality of a well-bound book of music is its ability to lie flat wherever opened. It is unwise therefore to use any kind of an overcast stitch in sewing. Regular sewing on tapes, instead of bands, must be used.
2. The square at the bottom of the book should be greater than at the top so that leaves will not catch on the music-rack when turned over.
3. Imperial morocco cloth should be used for covering. If hard usage is expected half cowhide, with sides of some kind of washable cloth, is preferable.
4. Part music for various instruments or solos with accompaniment must have one strong binding for the part which takes the most space, with pocket on the inside of the back cover to hold the other parts. If these are bulky compensating guards should be inserted in the back of the book.
BOOKS OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Every library finds it necessary to bind a few books, such as Racinet's "Le costume historique," which have very little text and a great number of illustrations. It is evident that the illustrations in such books are most useful if kept in unbound form in portfolios, but when kept in such a way they are likely to be lost, torn, mutilated or misplaced.
1. Each plate should be guarded with thin, tough paper and the guards overcast.
This insures a good strong sewing; in addition the guard forms a hinge where it meets the plate and the plate will lie flat and can easily be examined when the book is opened.
2. Because of the artistic nature of such books, they should be bound in one-half morocco, taking extra care to see that acid-free leather is used.
3. Canton flannel and bands, or tapes, should be inserted between split boards. If the book is very heavy, it would be wise to line the back with duck or a flesher rather than with canton flannel.
COMMERCIAL BINDING FOR REFERENCE BOOKS
While they are not a part of library binding, it may not be amiss to include specifications for commercial binding of heavy reference books, such as dictionaries, cyclopedias, etc. It is done with the hope that librarians will exert pressure upon the publishers to induce them to adopt these or other specifications which will produce equally good results.
1. Four tapes should be used in sewing; the tapes must extend on each side of the book at least two inches. The book should contain as many stitches as possible, using the best four-strand cotton thread. The thickness of the thread will depend somewhat upon the number of pages in a signature. Books should be sewed "all along" with no splitting of signatures at head or tail.
2. First and last signatures should be reinforced inside and outside of the fold with a strip of strong, thin muslin which passes around the outside of the end papers. The English cloth called jaconet is the best for this purpose.
3. The second signature and the next to the last should be reinforced with muslin on the inside of the fold.
4. The end papers should also be lined on the inside.
5. Illustrations should be guarded with muslin which is folded around the next signature.
6. Books should be lined with a medium grade of canton flannel, with the fuzzy side to the back and extending from one-half inch from the head to within one-half inch of the tail of the book, lapping over at least two inches on the side.
7. The flannel, together with the tapes, should be inserted between split boards.
8. Over the canton flannel, but not extending over to the sides, there should be pasted a good quality of linen, rope or manila paper of sufficient thickness to make the book firm. In putting on this lining paper paste instead of glue must be used.
9. Volumes should have French joints.
10. The best quality millboard of suitable thickness with rounded corners should be used.
11. Leather should be made, if possible, according to the specifications of the London Society of Arts. Niger morocco is probably the best. Volumes should have leather corners as well as backs.
12. For cloth sides, Winterbottom's Imperial morocco cloth, Bancroft's Legal buckram, or Holliston's Library buckram should be used.